


Maji Love Studios!

by WendyMcTorry



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I'm sorry I wrote a song and it probably sucks, Love Story, M/M, My character's affect on the plot, hope you like my original characters!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-06-09 20:59:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6923158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WendyMcTorry/pseuds/WendyMcTorry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nanami needs a co-composer because composing for 6 idols is too much! Syo falls in love with Tai, the co-composer, and they start a studio that doesn't abide by the love ban! Stay tuned to see what happens after Maji Love Studios opens!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

I am a writer. Both of books and songs. I am an artist. And, as an artist, I wanted to be surrounded by other artists, learn to create even more amazing art, and Saotome Gakuen was the place to do that. It may have been an idol school, and my strong suit may have been book writing instead of song writing, but there was no book school, so I settled for a school where I could hone at least one of my skills 

In the fall of my twelth grade year, I entered Saotome Academy. It was a school for idols and composers. You could never tell who was who, unless you got to know them. I talked to lots of people who were in my classess, and I had a great roommate named Tomo-chan. The first month of school went great! We had one project where we wrote our first song, I was paired with a cute little enthousiastic idol-to-be named Hinata. 

Then, it came time for our graduation project to start. It was the main project of the year, worth half our grade. There were two people in particular I was thinking of pairing up with. Ittoki Otoya or Kurusu Syo. 

 

"Hey, Otoya!" I smiled and waved as I approached him. 

"Yo, Tai! What's up?"

"Um… I was wondering… do you want to pair up with me for our grad project?" 

Otoya's smile faded. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Tai… I… I've already asked Nanami. She's going to get back to me on it."

"Oh, sure, that's fine. Hope it works out!" I fake smiled through my heart-wrenching disappointment. I was saved by the bell and had an excuse to walk away. 

Later that day, I saw Syo. He was my next choice to work with. I loved his personality, and I knew I could write great songs for him. I was going to ask him after class if he wanted to team up for the grad assignment, when I noticed him walk up to Nanami. 

"Yo, Nanami!" He smiled.

"Oh, hey, Syo. What's up?" She asked. 

"I want you to be my composer for the grad assignment! I think we could make a great team, if you're up for it!" 

My heart sank all again. Everyone wanted Nanami, it seemed. 

"Um, I'll get back to you. But thanks for the offer." Nanami answered. I was shocked. Otoya asked her first. By the unwritten rules, she should have told Syo she had already promised Otoya. But she didn't promise Otoya. Just how many people had wanted to pair with Nanami?" 

Throughout the rest of the school day, I watched as Jinguji, Natsuki, Hijirikawa, and Tokiya asked Nanami to be their partners. 

I couldn't believe it. She had six guys asking her, whereas I couldn't even get the ones I made the effort to ask. 

Yet, I was still surprised when Nanami came to my door that night. 

"Nanami? What's up?" I asked. 

"Um… I know this is going to be quite the favour to ask… But six different idols have asked me to be their composer. I definitely cannot handle writing for six different people. Even if they were to form a band, they'd have to have their own songs for projects when they get hired post-grad, and that kind of thing. So, I was hoping you would be my co-composer!" 

"Me?" I laughed. 

"Yes, you!" Nanami smiled. 

"They all came to you, right? Why would they want me?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Otoya turned me down when I asked him. And before I could even ask Syo, he asked you. So why would any of them want me? They all want you. If you were to propose the co-composer idea, they'd all consider it a burden when it was my turn to write for them and your turn to write for someone else." 

"Oh, no, I'm sure they wouldn't. I already asked them. They were all in favour of the idea." 

"Really? All six of them?" 

"All seven of us." Nanami corrected me. "Soon to be eight, I hope." 

I thought about it for a second. The very last thing I wanted on this earth was to be thrown in somewhere I wasn't wanted. But apparently, I was wanted. Did I take a leap of faith and trust that it wasn't just Nanami who wanted me in the group? That she wanted me in the group because of my talent and not just because she would need a break? Or did I find someone who actually did want me? 

I decided this was my best shot. 

"Alright, I'm in." I smiled. Nanami gave me a big hug. 

I was excited in the end because I would get to work with both of the guys I wanted to ask to be my partner. I was looking forward to that. The first person I got to work with was Otoya. We had a good time working together brainstorming when Nanami walked by with Tokiya. He was her first assignment.

"You like her, don't you." I said, after seeing the way Otoya looked at Nanami. 

"Eh!?" Otoya exclaimed, shocked I found out. 

"Are you denying it?" I laughed. 

"I… uh…. No…" He sighed. "Is it really that obvious?" 

"Well, not to Nanami. Love is blind, meaning she can't see that you have feelings for her." 

"Isn't the one in love supposed to be blind? Isn't that supposed to be me?" 

"Oh, yeah, you're blind alright. The thing is, you're both blind. She likes you, too. Why do you think she chose you to be her partner for our first assignment? It's as clear as day to me. I bet the rest of STARISH knows, too." 

"You really think so?" 

"I do. I'm not going to bet money on it, but I do think so." I smiled. "So, what're you gonna do?" 

"What can I do? I'm way too nervous to ask her out, if that's what you're getting at. And besides, love is forbidden for idols. Not that any of that matters." Otoya sighed. "I always thought she liked Syo." 

"I don't know, maybe she does. I haven't paid close enough attention to how the two of them act around each other to know."

"But you paid attention to Nanami and me? Why just us?" 

I panicked. I couldn't tell Otoya it was because I liked him and was jealous of his love for Nanami. But quickly, an idea popped into my head. 

"You asked her to be your partner for the graduation assignment. I wanted to see how you two worked together. I figured you had to work well together since this was your second time. You chose her for a reason, and I wanted to know what it was. And after I found out that all the other guys asked Nanami, too, I figured I should take notes on her music and how she does things. Since you two had worked together the most, I figured your cooperation would be best to observe." I pretended to be scientific. 

"Well, have you gotten any ideas from us?" 

"No, not yet. But I'll keep looking." I laughed. 

"So, you found out who I like. Do I get to find out who you do?" 

"Absolutely not." I laughed. 

"Eh?!" Otoya complained. 

"Sorry, Otoya. But you'd laugh right in my face." 

"No, I wouldn't." 

"I wish I could believe you." I sighed. "But seriously, you'd think I was crazy. I've gotta go, I have a meeting with Syo about his new single for a job. I'll see you around, Otoya!" I smiled and waved as I left. Otoya really would've thought I was crazy, confessing to him right after he'd confessed he liked someone else. He'd think I'd planned this so I could try to get him for myself. I wouldn't have that. 

"Well, if you ever need any help, let me know. I'll do whatever I can." Otoya smiled. 

"Thanks, Otoya." I smiled and laughed. "Later!"

"Later!" 

I was content and disapointed at the same time. I finally found out who he liked, I got up the courge to talk about it and now I can stop worrying about it. Nanami and I are polar opposites. She loves to write romance songs that are generally slow. But for me, I'm all about inspiring people! She's "hello" by Adele and I'm "All Star" by Smash Mouth. If Otoya liked Nanami, I had already struck out. 

Syo was waiting for me in a practice room down the hall, so I (thankfully) didn't have any time to wallow in self-pity before practice. I walked into the room to hear Syo playing "All Star" by Smash Mouth. And according to the train of thought that departed a couple seconds earlier, that was my song. 

"Hey!" Syo smiled and waved. I was still in shock. Was it just a coincindence that Syo was playing my song as I walked into the room? Or was this a sign. "Huston, we have a problem." 

I was still staring into space. 

"Earth to Tai! Earth to Tai!" Syo said. I was pulled out of my mind when I heard Syo's absolutely adorable laugh. It brought a big smile to my face, despite the fact I'd slightly embarrassed myself. 

"Sorry about that, Syo, I just have a lot on my mind, and it's given me a great idea for a new song! Your laugh snapped me out of it." 

"Cool! What kind of song?" 

"An upbeat fun one, inspired by All Star!" 

"Sweet, that's one of my favourites!" 

"The song's all yours then." I laughed. Even if he hadn't said All Star was one of his favourites, I wouldn't have written it for anyone else. 

"Awesome, thanks!" 

"No problem!" I smiled. We started with practice. This was my first time writing for Syo, but it was so much fun! Our taste in music is so similar! We took a couple ideas from some songs we both like, "All Star" included, and added in some of our own ideas! We had the basic framework done in a few hours of hard work that passed by so quick!

"Looking good so far!" Syo smiled at our brainstorming. 

"Yeah! I'm excited to finish it!" 

"Me, too!" Syo agreed. There was a moment of silence. "Um… I have a question for you. It's a little awkward, but I hope you can help." 

"Sure! What is it?" 

"Um… uh… so… it's…. How well do you know… Nanami?" 

There it was. Did all six of these guys not only want Nanami to write for them, but also had a crush on her? Or was the reason they all asked her to compose for them BECAUSE they liked her! Either way, FML. 

"Not too well, unfortunately…. But if it's girl advice you need, I think I can still be helpful, even if I cant tailor it specifically to Nanami." 

"Really? You'll help? Thank you!" 

"Any time." I forced a smile. "First thing's first, what about the love ban?" 

"We can go on dates without letting anyone know they're dates. We don't have to hold hands or anything. We can just pretend to be friends. Nobody will know the difference."

"You're sure you want to risk it?" 

"No. I'm not. But I'm sure I want to at least try to ask her out. Maybe I'll cut it off if I think our careers are in danger, but I do want to at least find out how she feels."

"Okay. So, do you have a plan to ask her out, or is that where I come in?" 

"I've got a few ideas, I just can't choose. I was thinking of taking her to an amusement park, winning her a little cute keepsake at one of the games. Or maybe getting her tickets to see Hayato, her favourite singer! Or we could do a picnic at a park, or something more calm like that. What do you think?" 

"I think you should take her to the concert. You know she loves him, but she may have motion sickness or a fear of hights that'll keep her from going on rides at the amusement park. And as far as the picnic goes, that may be a little too much for a first date. You should act like you're on a date, but don't take her to a common date spot right away. Still flirt and stuff, but your goal shouldn't be to kiss her on the first date or anything. Friendship is best for the first bit. But if you say 'it's a date!' or something if she says yes, it lets her know that's what you want without the pressure of a quiet and intimate park picnic. Most guys see the friendzone as hell, a place from which there is no return. But relationships are like a building. If you take the easy way out, which we'll call the elevator, she might just cut the ropes. The elevator would be trying to escape the friendzone.But if you take the stairs, work your way up gradually, work through the friendzone, and show her that you're willing to put in the effort, you have so much more of a chance." 

"Thanks! I'll go ask her to the concert before she leaves for the night. I hope this goes well." 

"I'm sure it will. Good luck!" 

"Thanks!" Syo called as he left. I plopped down onto the floor. Just who is Nanami? I swear, if Natsuki comes up to me and asks me what to bake her, I'm going to suggest it's homemade. 

I felt like I betrayed Otoya. I felt like Nanami liked him, and I knew he liked her, and yet, I gave another guy advice on how to get her. I had to go talk to Otoya. Luckily, I was able to catch him just after Syo caught Nanami. 

"Otoya! Do you have a minute?" 

"Sure, what's up?" He asked as Syo and Nanami went their separate ways. 

"I'm sorry, but I gave Syo advice on where to ask Nanami to go on a date. I know you like her, but I had to. I couldn't lead him in the wrong direction because I didn't want it to end in a disaster for either, or probably both of them. I'm sorry. But to make up for it, I'll tel you everything I told him." 

"Wait a second." Otoya said.

"What for?" I asked. 

"I'm not mad at you for giving him advice." 

"You're not? Good!" I sighed in relief and put a smile on my face. 

"Nope, I'm not. I get it. Syo and Nanami are your friends, too, and you didn't want anything to be awkward or disastrous." 

"Exactly. Thanks for understanding." 

"That's what friends are for." Otoya half-heartedly smiled. 

"You're awesome, Otoya." I smiled back. "I thought you would have yelled at me, telling me I should have steered him away at least, or maybe even told him that I thought Nanami liked you." 

"Nah, that wouldn't have ended very well. We would've ended up fighting. If Nanami and Syo end up together, I won't let it get in the way. I'll be happy for them." 

"Good." I smiled. "Besides, you and Syo are so different. If Nanami likes someone like Syo, then maybe you two wouldn't have been compatible." 

"Okay, you're scary smart when it comes to relationships. You're giving everyone advice, knowing just what to say to cheer me up, and actually using your brain to try to get over crushes. You've definitely had your fair share of them. What's not fair is that you won't share who." 

"You're right, I have had lots of crushes, and gotten over almost as many. And I won't tell you who I like because I know how you'd react, and it wouldn't be pleasant. But I agree, it's not fair. I can't do anything about it, though." 

"You really think you know me that well?" 

"I could tell you liked Nanami, right?" 

"But I didn't freak out over Syo like you thought I would." 

"Very true. So I've had one right, and one wrong. If the pattern continues, I'm write about this next thing." 

"You have to have more than two tries for a pattern." 

"Yeah, you're right. But I have a rule with crushes. I can't tell anyone who it is until I've actually told the person I'm crushing on that I like him. It's kind of a new rule, but I know I need it. Feel free to try to figure it out on your own, that's not breaking the rules." 

"Alright, I will." 

"How about this. I bet you twenty bucks that you can't figure it out by the end of the year." 

"You're on!" He smiled. As far as I was concerned, there was only one way Otoya was going to find out who I liked, and that was if he told me he liked me. 

I couldn't help but think of Syo on my way back to the dorm. Why had I felt so heartbroken when he said he wanted to ask Nanami out? Was it just because yet another guy was choosing her over me? But I liked Otoya, and it shouldn't have bothered me that someone I didn't like didn't like me. Unless I did like Syo. But then what about Otoya? Did I like them both? How could I like two completely different guys at the same time? Unless they weren't as different as I thought they were. I started to compare them in my head. They were both sweet and kind to me. They had different tastes in music, and I liked Syo's more. They both had equally adorable smiles and laughs. They dressed completely differently, and I thought Syo dressed better. They both had lots of child-like energy, but I thought Syo had more. 

There were a few things that Syo had over Otoya. I was originally drawn to Otoya because of the things that both he and Syo had. I hadn't met Syo then, and maybe if I met Syo first, I would've liked him instead of Otoya? So did I really like Syo? 

It didn't matter to me at that point. Both of them were into Nanami. And I doubt there's anything I have over Nanami. Even if one of them did like me, I wouldn't break the love ban and risk their careers.

I was inspired to write, but not the song I was writing for Syo. I wrote something entirely different just for me. It helped me sort out my thoughts and I decided that I did like both of them, and would wait for one of them to choose me. And if neither of them chose me, then neither of them were good enough for me, because I need someone who appreciates me for who I am. 

The next day, Syo and I had scheduled practice again.

"Sorry I'm late." Syo said as he walked in. I expected him to be happy and upbeat as usual, and when he wasn't, I knew he had been turned down by Nanami. 

"That's alright." I smiled, trying to bring his spirits up. "Do you want to talk about it?" 

"About what?" 

"Whatever has you down. You're not your energetic self today." 

"It's 9am." Syo half-heartedly laughed. "I'm not a morning person, sorry if I seemed down." 

"Oh, alright." I said, knowing he was covering something up. But we just met at the beginning of the year, I didn't have the right to intrude on his love life. 

The session didn't go as well as the last one. At least not the first twenty minutes. We were getting nowhere fast, and Syo was out of it. There was only one thing I could do to bring him back. 

"Okay, we need some inspiration." I smiled. I pulled out some sheet music, the music I worked on the night before, and sat at the piano. "Tell me what you think of this." 

I played the song I wrote about him and Otoya. I watched Syo as I played it, and he curled up on the couch and closed his eyes, smiling. 

"Nanami rejected me. She didn't say a thing about the love ban, she made no excuses. She straight up told me she didn't like me."

"Well then, stop liking her. If she can't appreciate you for who you are, if she doesn't see the good in you, if she doesn't think you're worth her time, then she's not worth yours. I've had more than my fair share of crushes. None of them have liked me back. I've gotten over every single one of them, and maybe I'll get over my current one. You know what this song is about, right?" 

"Finding who's right for you. Making a tough decision. It's confusing, though. It's got parts about a choice, but also parts about moving on. How do they connect?" 

"I guess that's what I'll have to work on, then. The song is, obviously, not finished." 

"You know, I like your up-beat songs. But this one has so much of your heart in it that it makes up for the slow beat." 

"Why, thank you." I laughed. 

"So, what happened? What's the connection? What's the story?" 

"Well, it's about this guy. He's stuck deciding between two different girls he likes. They're both great, and he can't decide which one is right for him. But one day, he finally sees the light, and chooses the girl who is right for him." 

"Wait, what? This isn't about you?" 

"Nope." I lied right through my teeth. Little did I know that I just genderbent the three of us so he wouldn't be on my tail. Although it seemed like he might've been, despite my best efforts. 

"So who's the guy? And who are the girls? Were you one of them?" 

"I thought I said this story wasn't about me." 

"Just because you're not the main character doesn't mean you're not in the story. To be complete, a story needs many side-characters. A parade doesn't just need major floats, but dancers who walk on the ground, too." 

"Okay, you have a point." 

I just realised that my situation was actually the lie I said it was. If Otoya was the guy, and Nanami and I were the girls, then maybe I really was a side-character in someone else's story. Or maybe I was the guy and Syo and Otoya were the girls. I didn't know. 

"You were the girl who wasn't chosen, weren't you?" 

Ah, shit. Even Syo thought so. 

"Yeah. I was." 

"You ever seen The Bachelor?" 

"Yeah. What's that got to do with anything?" 

"Some girls who don't make it get the chance to be on the Bachelorette. Your time is coming."

"Thanks, Syo." I smiled. I didn't believe it one bit. I was sure Syo wasn't going to forget about Nanami just because of one rejection. And Otoya could only move on if he fell for someone else, which would be pretty hard considering how high Nanami set the bar. No way could I top that. And no way should I want to. I decided that being myself and letting someone fall for me as I am, not because I'm trying to impress them, is my best shot. And at that moment, myself felt like crying because she didn't feel good enough. But myself generally can't do what she feels like, so she completed the session with Syo instead. 

At the end of the session, Syo was much better. And I was a bit better, too. 

"Good work today, Tai." Syo smiled. 

"Thanks." I smiled back at the compliment. Normally, I would've gotten more worked up about a crush complimenting me. But I didn't think Syo could've been flirting in any way, shape, or form, so I didn't. 

"You okay? Now you're the one who's seeming down. Is this about that guy?" 

"It's about a lot of things. But it's bigger than the both of us, there's nothing I can do about it except get my mind off it."

"Then let's go do that!" Syo beamed. And when Syo beamed, I couldn't help beam back. He grabbed my hand and we ran out of the room. "I bought the theme park tickets before I even asked you about Nanami. We've got to get there soon for it to be worth the trip!" 

"Okay!" I beamed and went along with it. So what if Syo didn't think it was a date. I was going to an amusement park, and spending the rest of the day in the company of my crush. That's almost as good as a real date somewhere not as exciting as a theme park. I'll take it! 

"So, first thing's first, Leviathon!" 

"You've got to be kidding me!" 

"What!? No Leviathon!?" 

"You'd be lucky to get me on the Fly! When I told you to not take Nanami to the theme park because she might be scared of heights or drops or motion sickness, it's because I am afraid of drops!" 

"This was all personal experience, wasn't it? Everything you said to me." 

There was a moment of silence.

"Some of it is. That thing about being in the friendzone is. But I'll have you know that the day I let someone else drastically effect my happiness or modd or mental state long-term, you can expect flying pigs, aliens, and everything else that doesn't exist." 

"In other words, you're not letting anyone in?" 

"No. In other words, I just know when to kick them out." I laughed. "But we're wasting valuable ride time. Let's go!" 

We went on some of the smaller rides first, I was trying to work my way up to the Leviathon for Syo. He really seemed to care about me… and I couldn't help but smile like an idiot and blush when I even thought about that fact. And for Syo, something changed that day, too. He saw another side of me. I wasn’t just some girl who was into the same kind of music as him. I wasn't just Nanami's co-composer because she was too high in demand and needed help. I was smart, I had gone through some stuff, I knew just what to say, I was good at dealing with dreadful feelings. I was confident about the things that mattered. He found my smile and constant giddy, happy-go-lucky nature adorable. Syo had just entered… the friendzone.

"Okay…. Are you ready for this?" I asked with a nervous smile on my face. 

"I was born ready." Syo acted dramatically, causing me to smile wider and laugh. 

"Good! Me, too!" I lied. "I'm ready to get over my fear of drops. Which is basically a fear of free-falling. Which is pretty normal considering before technology freefalls did generally mean death. But I'm ready to get over it!" 

"Awesome, cuz we're on the next car!" 

"That was fast." 

"Yeah, not a long wait time today. I'm loving it!" 

"Yeah, me too!" 

"Um…" Syo was already getting nervous around me, and I didn't even notice. "If you need to, you can grab on to my arm, or hand, or something." 

"Prepare to lose all blood flow to your arm." I laughed as we loaded in the car, and he laughed with me. 

As the ride started, we were pulled up slowly, and I couldn't stop thinking about the drop. I looped my arm through Syo's and he smiled at me while putting his hand on my arm. He kind of told me it would be alright while not saying anything. When we started to go over, I took in a deep breath, closed my eyes, and clenched my stomach so I'd feel as few butterflies as possible. Syo put the arm I wasn't holding on to in the air and enjoyed the ride. After the first drop, it was so much fun! The g-force, the loops, some minor completely fine drops, and a corkscrew. 

"I cannot believe I did that! Last year, I did Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain at Disney and I thought I conquered a lot of fear, but THIS is something else!" I laughed as we exited the ride. "I just hope I didn't bruise you in the process." 

"Nah, I'm completely fine. I only lost feeling in my arm, for like, a second. And you did warn me, so everything is alright." Syo joked. Then we came to the kiosk where they sold the pictures that were taken on the drop. 

I took one look at my face in the picture and realised how wimpy I looked. Syo was having the time of his life, though, so I decided to focus on that. 

"I totally need a copy of this!" He smiled and pulled out his wallet. 

"You do?" 

"Absolutely! You conquered Leviathon!" 

I relaxed a little. It was just a memorial of that, not because he found my face funny or stupid or anything. Little did I know he actually found it cute how I was holding his arm and burying my face in his shoulder. He liked how I relied on him when I was scared. 

"No way! They already have plushes for the new Pokemon game coming out!" I noticed. One of the games had the three starters as prizes. 

"I know, right! The game hasn't even come out, and I'm stoked to play it!" 

"Me, too! It's so cool you're into Pokemon! We'll have to battle when the game comes out." 

"You really want to get your butt kicked THAT bad, huh?" 

"You, sir, have no clue what I can do! Even if you have a grass type, my Mudkip will drown you, so be warned!" 

"Are you getting sun or moon?" 

"Moon, duh? Don't I just radiate lunar energy!" I laughed. 

"Yes. Yes, you do." Syo smiled. "I'm getting sun." 

"Cool! We're partners!" 

Some people might think of the sun and moon as opposites. But I think of them as partners.

"Which one do you want?" Syo asked, walking up to the basketball game with the pokeprizes. 

"Definitely Rowlet! The owl is my spirit animal! Which one will you pick when the game comes out?" 

"Pippolo!" 

"Cool! That's my second choice!" 

"One round please." Syo handed a bill to the guy running the game. 

"Good luck!" 

Syo sunk all three baskets, and won the game! 

"The owl, please." He smiled. Once he had Rowlet, he gave him to me. "Looks like you get Rawlet sooner than expected." 

"For me?" I smiled and blushed. "Thanks, Syo!" I gave him a big hug. 

"Any time." He laughed. 

"Oh! When you asked which one I wanted, you meant prize, not starter when the game came out!" 

"I did!" 

"Sorry! I didn't know." 

"Don't worry about it." Syo laughed. 

After that, we went on some more of our favourite rides, caught a parade, and ended the night on the Farris wheel. My personal favourite ride. We were on the wheel at the same time the fireworks show was happening. 

"Wow!" I smiled as I watched them. "This has been such a great day! Thanks so much, Syo!" 

"No problem. I had a great day, too!" He smiled a boyish smile that made my heart stop. 

We just enjoyed the moment at the fireworks. Syo debated putting his arm around me or holding my hand or making a move of some sort, but he decided against it. Nanami was cute, but she didn't make him nervous the way I did. She also couldn't make him smile or laugh like I could. Syo understood my songs in a way he couldn't Nanami's. Throughout he day, he had been thinking of just me, not Nanami. And by the end of it, I was his crush and he was mine. Ootoya and Nanami had lost their chances with me and Syo. But that was for the best for all four of us. 

I crossed my arms as we left the park. It was a May night, kind of cold and definitely not summer yet. Syo noticed. 

"Hey, are you chilly?"

"Oh, not much, just a little bit." I half-smiled and took my arms down. 

"Here." He smiled as he put his jacket over my shoulders. Luckily, it was to dark for either of us to see how much the other was blushing.

"Thank you…" I smiled. 

I got tired on the bus home, and fell asleep against the window. When we turned, my head went from the window to Syo's shoulder. He thought it was pretty perfect. I woke up pretty embarrassed. 

"I'm so sorry, I di--" I was interrupted. 

"Don't worry about it. If I really minded it, I would've woken you up." He laughed. "But you really apologize too often." 

"I've heard that before." I laughed with him. 

The next morning, class was interrupted by the teacher's phone ringing. She answered it, and after she hung up, she turned to Syo. 

"Kurusu-kun," Then she turned to me. "Uzumi-chan, Shining would like to see you." 

I wondered what this was about. Was he wondering about progress of our new song? 

"This is about last night. If Shining found out about it, he might've thought it was a date." 

I stopped flat in my tracks. 

"Syo, I'm so sorry, I--" 

"This is just as much my fault as it is yours. Nobody saw us kissing or anything, so there's no proof we were hanging out as anything more than friends. It's fine. We just shouldn't go out to such public places without disguises anymore. I'm sorry, I should've thought it through, but the spontaneous aspect of it was half the fun." He smiled. 

"It was." I agreed with a smile ."But from now on, we hang out behind closed doors." 

"Right." 

Then, we arrived at the office. Syo knocked on the door. 

"Come in." Shining said in English. 

"Well. At least he's not mad." Syo laughed before we went in. We both went in with straight faces, so he wouldn't think we were having a fun chat in the hall. 

"Let's get right to it." Shining said after we had taken our seats. "Are you two romantically involved?" 

"We're nothing more than friends." Syo answered. I didn't like the sound of that. Unfortunately, that was the way it had to be until Syo's idol days were over. 

"Really? Then explain this." Shining threw a newspaper at us. On the front page, there was a large picture of me sleeping while resting my head on Syo's shoulder. The headline read "STARISH-Crossed Lovers". I only noticed the way he looked at me. Syo looked at me like I was his little angel from heaven. Key word here: his. Syo looked at me the way I imagined he'd look at his girlfriend. Did Syo like me back? 

But once again, it didn't matter. Unless we were 110% secretive, which is 99% impossible, we would be found out and Syo would be fired. I couldn't risk it. 

"We went to an amusement park yesterday, and I fell asleep on the way home. Syo and I were feeling a little down and lacking inspiration, so we did a fun spontaneous morale-boosting trip. The bus turned when I was sleeping, and my head moved from the window to his shoulder. I apologized for it."

"You two are never to be seen alone in public together again. Understand?" 

"We understand." Syo said. 

We walked back to the classroom with our heads down. How could we have been so careless and thoughtless? Syo was already famous before their debut. We should've been more careful. 

At lunch, I saw the newspaper. I took it and read it over. Part of me was super happy. The things they were pointing out were true, like how Syo gave me the most adoring look when I was asleep, and how winning me Rowlet was so romantic, etc. The more I thought about it, the more I thought Syo liked me. 

But even if he did, he couldn't. It's impossible to keep it a 100% secret and I was not going to risk Syo's dream. Even if he wanted to be with me, too. We'd just wait.

The song I wrote for Syo was a huge hit! When Nanami and I weren't working with our STARS on individual songs, we were working on their group project. We decided to call the song Maji Love 1000%! It was coming along great. 

Syo and I hung out more and more. I took over most of his songs, and Nanami took over most of Otoya's. Things couldn't have been better! 

Eventually, the day came for STARISH'S live debut! We were backstage, the lead singer of heavens, Otori, approached me. 

"So," Oroti began. I don't know how he caught me alone, but he did. "You and the short blonde kid?" 

"Oh, no." I half-laughed. "That was a misunderstanding by the paparazzi. Syo and I are just friends." 

"Yeah, I knew that. I didn't buy the newspaper article for one second. I just wanted to see how you'd react." 

"Okay then." 

"You actually think you have a chance with him? You're nothing special, and he's an idol. Your music is fine, but there's not an attractive bone in your body." 

I was so excited to send this kid to hell. 

"Oh, there isn't, is there? Well, at least I can name bones of the body. I doubt you even know where the femur or humours are. And as for having a chance with Syo, I know I do. You wanna know why? Because, despite the fact that there are a lot more attractive girls Syo could get, none of them have my personality. I can make Syo laugh way more than any supermodel ever could. I can make him smile wider than any female idol could. I can write music that suits Syo better than Nanami could ever hope to. I know Syo sees it. But, for the sake of the argument, let's say Syo doesn't see all the good in me. Then it's Syo who's not good enough for me, not the other way around." 

"With an attitude like that, nobody will want you." 

"With an attitude like this, nobody has to. I don't need anyone to tell me I have worth, because I already know I do. I'm respectful to people who are respectful to me, and I have confidence in myself and self-esteem. Sure, one day I'd love to be married and all that jazz. But I'm not going to let relationships dictate my life. Only I can do that." I walked away, then turned back for one brief moment. Just long enough to say "Break a leg". 

At that moment, Syo burst out laughing. And you should've seen just how shocked that Havens asshole looked. He just had got his ass handed to him, and Syo was there to see how confident and awesome I was. I smiled at his laugh, like I always do. 

"I honestly don't know what's better! Is it the fact that Tai just verbally schooled you? Is it the fact that, despite your very best efforts, you couldn't shake even our composer? Is it the fact that you had to try to shake our composer just to get ahead? No! It's the fact that I was able to see it all."

"Now who's trying to shake who?" 

"Oh, I'm not trying to shake you. I was just trying to enjoy the moment." 

"What? Surprised your girlfriend can actually handle herself? Sad you don't get to be her knight in shining armour, saving her from a bully?"

Syo just laughed again. 

"I know Tai can handle herself. But she's not my girlfriend. Or have you forgotten about the love ban?" Syo asked. "Oh, that's right! The rules don't apply to you, because you're a special snowflake." 

"She might not be your girlfriend now, but she could be. That is, if you gave up your dream of being an idol." 

"That's never going to happen." I interrupted. "You clearly have no idea what is going on here. Syo would never give up his dream, not for me, not for anyone, but especially not for me. So if your goal was trying to get him to quit so STARISH would be out of the running, I can assure you, you will never reach it. STARISH won't lose." 

"Need her to fight your battles for you?" He said to Syo. 

"Can I hit him?" I asked. 

"No." Syo answered. 

"Please let me hit him. Just once!" 

"Absolutely not." 

"But you've got to! He's asking for it!" 

"Can't. Would love to, but can't." 

"Slap? I could settle for a slap?" 

"Sorry, no." 

"But why?" 

"He's not worth it." Syo said. "You know I'm right."

"Damn it, you are." I sighed and walked away. Syo followed after flipping him off with a huge smile on his face.

"She's just too awesome." Syo laughed, thinking about everything. That night, STARISH had the best preformance of their life, and I was singing along to the songs Nanami and I wrote for them, keeping my eye on Syo the entire time. He was an amazing dancer. I noticed he had absolutely no mistakes, normally he has at least two or three. Could it have been how happy flipping off Heavens made him? Or… was it how happy I made him? My smile widened at the thought. And then faded because I knew it wasn't possible. Even if it was, the love ban would be in our way. The only thing I could do is not get my hopes up, because I knew they'd be crushed. 

Nanami came up to me after the preformance, when STARISH was getting changed in their dressing rooms. 

"It's true, isn't it?" Nanami asked. 

"What's true?" I questioned, already knwoing what she was talking about, but hoping I was wrong. 

"You're in love with Syo. Aren't you?" 

"Nanami, please, don't say a word, no matter what, please." I begged. 

"Your secret is safe with me." 

"Thank you." I smiled and gave her a hug. "How'd you know?" 

"Otoya told me." 

"He did?" I laughed. "I should've known. I owe him twenty bucks." 

"You do? What for?" 

"I found out he liked you at the beginning of the year. I didn't like Syo then. I hadn't gotten to know him well enough. But Otoya found it very unfair that I knew he liked you but he didn't know who I liked. I wouldn't tell him, so I bet him twenty bucks he couldn't figure out who I liked by the end of the year. And, he did." 

"He liked me all year!?" 

"Yeah! It was obvious to everyone in STARISH, even Syo! Everyone but you that is." 

"Anyway, this is about you, not me. What are you going to do?" 

"What can I do? There's no way we won't be found out. We'll slip up somewhere, guaranteed, and I can't risk Syo losing his dream." 

"Then he at least needs to know. I wouldn't let Otoya give up his dream. No matter what. We're not together for the same reasons you aren't with Syo. But, Syo needs to know how you feel."

"What good is that going to do? I know if Syo told me he liked me, I'd be even more tempted. At least this way, neither of us knows how the other feels, so we can assume worst case scinario, which it probably is. It makes it easier." 

"Easier or better?" 

"What's the difference? Isn't easier better?" 

"No. The right thing to do is sometimes the hard thing to do. Do you think you spend more time wondering about Syo's feelings for you than is necessary? He probably does the same. If he knew you liked him, and you knew he liked you, you two could look forward to your relationship in the future instead of both of you chipping away at your self-esteem thinking 'no, they can't possibly like me"." 

"Is that what you and Otoya do?" 

"Yeah, it is. And thanks to that, we haven't been harassed by the media or jerks from Heavens." 

"You heard about that?" I laughed at the memory. 

"Syo boasted about you for a good twenty minutes in our last session. Specifically mentioning 'can I hit him?', 'Please let me hit him', and 'damn it, you are'." 

"But my personal favourite was 'special snowflake'." I laughed again. 

"See? He likes you! And you like him back! GO TELL HIM!" 

"It would just be torture to know that the only reason we can't be together is because of the thing he loves to do most. Besides, you're probably wrong. Sure, I know how much I'm worth, and I have a very healthy amount of self-esteem. But Syo… he would never fall for me." 

"Why not?" 

"I'm just not good enough." I sighed. 

"That's not true." 

"It is. I really can't… I know I'm great, and I know he'd be dumb not to see that… but there's a difference between him thinking I'm great and him being in love with me. I think him and I will just have to stay friends, unless by some miracle, he does fall for me." 

"I'm pretty sure he has." 

"I hope you're right." I smiled. "Speaking of Syo, we have recording to do. See you around, Nanami." 

After that, I left. Syo and I hung out lots over the next few months, STARISH was doing awesome! STARISH had a concert in Canada, close to my hometown, so I obviously went to visit beforehand. 

The day before the concert, Syo gave me a call. 

"Hey, Syo, what's up? I thought you were supposed to be boarding soon." I answered. 

"We were. But the weather in Canada is really crappy right now. Our flight is delayed until further notice. We can't get there in time for the concert tomorrow, so I need you to stall. They say it should only be a couple hour delay, so if you stall that long, we can still make it. We don't need to cancel." 

"Okay, I'll see what I can do."

"You should go on. I know you've written songs for yourself. Play some." 

"But Shining would--" 

"Shining would thank you for keeping the audience entertained. You'll be fine." 

"I hope so… I'll do my best." 

"Perfect! See you soon, Tai." 

"See you soon. Have a safe flight!" 

The next day, I was at the concert. Still no sign of STARISH, and they were on in ten.

"Hello, everyone." I almost stuttered as I walked up on stage. "STARISH is unfortunately running a little late due to our lovely canadian weather." I made a joke and got a slight laugh, and slight booing. "I will be opening for them. As you may know, I am one of their co-composers. The only reason I made it here before them was because I actually have family in a small town a couple hours from here, and was visiting. So, without further adieu, here is one of my original songs that one of my stars requested I sing." 

"Destiny is a funny thing. It's like a bird with coloured wings. Beautiful but just out of sight. You can change it, rearrange it, but it always finds you. It may not be what you imagined, but it's brought about by passion. No matter what, I promise you, love is what it comes through." I sang. And by the time the next verse was about to begin, Syo walked on stage. 

"There is someone out there who waits. To see your beautiful, smiling face. You may not know it. They may not show it. But one day, you will see, that all along, that's where you were supposed to be." He sang. I was touched he had not only found, but learned, my song, and planned all of this. This was it. Syo had decided he couldn't wait any longer. This is what he wanted. It was too late to turn back now. Syo was in love with me. I was his new dream. I was worth giving up his career he loved for. I couldn't help but start silently crying. However, I got myself together and sang my part. 

"It may not be what you wished for. But it is something you'll adore. Happiness is what it will bring you, if you just let the light through." We sang together.

"Your ending's wondrous, please trust me. Don't you fret, or worry. Don't make a move, let love find you, because love is what it comes through." I sang. 

"When you find your one true love, you realise they were sent from above. You are theirs, and they are yours. They can open so many doors." Syo sang. 

"It may be tough to wait. But this is more than fate. You'll get something better than you could've hoped for. Love will make you soar!" 

After our duet was finished, I just smiled at him. 

"Are you ready?" He asked. 

"This isn't about me, Syo. This is about you. Are you ready?" 

"Since the Leviathon." He smiled and pulled me into a kiss. The entire audience started cheering. 

"Nanami!" I heard Otoya exclaim. Nanami rushed from backstage. "STARISH is done. You saw what just happened. It's over! We can be together!" 

"I can't believe it!" She smiled and jumped into Otoya's arms. 

"Masato." Jinguji looked at Hijirikawa. 

"I'm ready. Are you?" Masato answered. 

"I was born ready." 

"Celine." Tokiya smiled at STARISH's manager. 

"Ichinose-san… really? Me?" 

Tokiya gave her a quick kiss to reassure her. 

"Tomo-chan!" Natsuki smiled giddily. 

"I know! I heard the song! Let's go join them! All eight of us!" Tomo-chan agreed. 

A moment later, four couples joined us on stage, hand-in-hand. First came Otoya and Nanami, who got almost as many cheers as Syo and I did when we kissed. Then came Tokiya and Celine, who were just under Otoya and Nanami. Third came Jinguji and Hijirikawa, who actually got more cheers than we did, and I couldn't have been screaming "I TOLD YOU SO!!!" to Syo any louder. Finally, Tomo-chan and Natsuki joined us. 

"So, you all remember that article with me napping on Syo's shoulder? We've been in love since then. We've just been too afraid of rejection to admit it. I was afraid that, even if we went out in complete secret, that we'd get caught, and I'd ruin Syo's chances at his dream." 

"Little did she know, ever since that day, she was my dream." 

Cue audience cheering for Syo's cuteness. 

"Tai actually gave me advice on how to go about confessing to Nanami. I didn't take any of it because I was a giant chicken. Nanami made the first move, through song, and I can't thank her enough for that." Otoya announced. 

"It took him long enough to catch on." Nanami laughed. 

"Celine was always my number one fan. When she started to manage STARISH, we got close, and fell in love." Tokiya explained. 

"Even though Ichinose-san could have any girl he wanted, he chose me. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that." She laughed. 

"As for us--" Jinguji began to explain, but nobody could hear him, even with the mike, over the cheers. Wow, these people were really fans of them. "We started out as roommates. Mr. Old Fashioned over here had his 'avoiding me because I can't deal with feelings' phase. But I got him. Slowly but surely, I got him." 

"And thank goodness he did." Masato blushed. 

"She's the only one who can stomach my baking." Natsuki laughed. "I knew she was the one when!" 

The crowd roared. 

"On a serious note, I fell in love with this gentle giant's childish side. From baking to Piyo-chan, to Orion, I love him through and through, with or without his glasses." 

Only STARISH really knew what that meant. 

And then, the mikes were turned off, the stage went black, and security came. We were escorted back on a plane to Japan. But we were together, and that's what mattered most. Despite the jet-lag, we were ordered to come directly to Shining's office. 

He was red in the face, and you could see steam coming out of his ears, he was that angry. 

"YOU!" He yelled at Syo and I. THIS IS YOUR THIRD TIME IN THIS OFFICE FOR THIS SAME REASON! YOU'VE BEEN TOGETHER THE WHOLE TIME, HAVEN'T YOU!?" 

"No, we haven't. We've been in love the whole time, but we haven't been seeing each other or breaking any rules." I said. 

"LIARS!" 

"Please, we're telling the tru--" 

"GET OUT!" He hissed at Syo. "YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE MORE RESPONSIBLE! YOU'RE THE IDOL, YOUR CAREER IS OVER NOW BECAUSE OF THIS! I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMARTER THAN THIS, YOU IGNORANT--" 

"HEY!" I exclaimed, interupting. "You can't talk to anyone like that, much less Syo! Not on my watch." 

"This is all YOUR fault! If you two hadn't met, Kurusu-kun could've gone on as part of STARISH with no distractions whatsoever! You stupid--" 

"Syo, I believe we've been fired." I smiled at him as I took his hand. "Let's go." 

"I'm not done yet!" 

"Hasta Lavista, Loco." I waved my hand at Shining as I left. The others followed suit. 

"He really is loco, though." Syo laughed. 

"Mucho loco." Tomo-chan agreed. 

"GUYS!!!!" I stopped flat in my tracks. "No record company is going to produce for us now. We made a big stink, and gave absolutely no notice to our producer. Shining is going to make our life a living hell if we even try." 

"You're just realising this now?" Hijirikawa asked. 

"No, no, no, that's not my point. The point is, we can't be hired by anyone! So, our only option is to create our own record company!" 

"And we'll be the first one without the love ban! Imagine how many artists we'll have who will switch to us so they can be with the person they love! Or have the chance to find them!" Natsuki smiled. 

"Fans who are really into music, and not just the looks of the artist, will follow their favourite musicians no matter where they go!" Syo exclaimed. 

"First thing's first: we need a name. A catchy name that nobody will forget." Junguji suggested.

"Great idea, Jinguji!" Haruka smiled. 

"Maji Love Studio!" I suggested. It's got the name of our best songs that Haruka and I proposed together, as well as what we're all about. What do you guys say?" 

"Hajikeru monogatari ni shichaimashou." Syo said. 

"As for the normal members of Starish, we agree." Hijirikawa sighed, but then smiled at Syo singing his response. 

"I love Maji Love Studios! But I would've thought you'd suggest Hollywood Studios." Nanami laughed. 

"I am a Disney finatic." I laughed with her. "So, we're all on board?" 

"I think so." Tokiya smiled. 

"Alright!" I beamed. "So, anyone have any clue how to start a record company?" 

"Nope, good luck." Otoya said as he left 

"Make us proud, Tai." Nanami smiled and followed Otoya. 

"We know you can do it!" Natsuki set his hand on my shoulder for reassurance. 

"Keep us posted on how you're doing! We want to hear all about it!" Tomo-chan smiled then followed Natsuki out. 

"You got the name down, that's half the battle." Tokiya said as he exited. 

"I'll still manage STARISH when you're done if you'd like." Celine offered. 

"You officially have full control over the company. Congrats, it’s yours!" Jinguji hugged me. 

"We'll help you, though, wherever we can. Won't we, Jinguji?" Masato glared at his boyfriend, and all his other friends, for leaving me to do this alone. 

"Sure." Jinguji dragged Masato out of the room. 

"Well," Syo smiled, putting his hand on my shoulder. "We've got some work ahead of us, don't we?" 

"You're going to help!?" I beamed.

"Of course I'm going to help! From now on, there's only one way we can do things, and that's together." 

I just leapt into his arms for a giant hug… something I hadn't been able to do twenty-four hours ago. 

"Thank you, Syo!" I smiled. 

"Any time." He smiled back and hugged me tight. 

"And I don't mean just for helping me with Maji Love Studios. I mean for everything. Every day since the Leviathon. For all the fun we had writing songs together, for giving up your dream for me, and especially for turning my song into our song… into a duet." 

"It was just as great for me, if not better. I'm glad I've made you happy, and I'm even more glad that now I can actually try to. If I did that great as just friends, imagine the awesome dates I could come up with now that we can actually go to places in public." He laughed. "Oh, and I forgot to ask, would you like some wine with that cheese?" 

"You little!" I playfully punched him. "You're just as cheesy as I am!" 

"Oh, come on, that was a great joke!" He laughed. 

"Yeah, and you're lucky it was, or else I wouldn't have pulled my punch!" 

"Oh, good, that was pulling, I thought that was the best you had." 

"You can't handle the best I have." I shoved him, but I couldn't get enough power since I was laughing. 

"Sure, sure." 

And with that, we left, too, with a dream of creating a studio where idols don't have to fear the love ban.


	2. Interviews and Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, in this chapter, Syo and Tai accept some offers to do interviews about STARISH's breakup for TV to make money. They'll put that money to use to try to make Maji Love Studios! STARISH is a lot more popular than even they can imagine, so Shining wants them back. Is he prepared to make a compromise? Will STARISH accept his deal and return to Shining's label?

"Tai!! You never told us you were dating Syo!" My mom exclaimed. Why would you keep this from us?" 

"We weren't really together until just on that stage. Not even a moment before. Thanks to the love ban Japanese idols have, Syo and I couldn't be together, or he'd be fired. So, he decided to quit in a very glamorous way, singing a duet with me. And not just any song. It was a solo song I wrote about Syo, but now it's our song, and it's a duet. I have to move all my stuff into me and Syo's new place, so I'll talk to you and the fam later, okay?" 

"YOU'RE LIVING TOGETHER!?" My mom exclaimed.

"We have to. Besides, we've known each other for two years now. All of STARISH bought houses on the same block so we can work together. We all have more than enough money to support ourselves. We're fine! Bye, Mom!" 

I knew she wouldn't like that. But I'm 19, and a successful composer for a popular relatively new band. 

Syo and I moved in together, and I was so excited and happy! We decorated our room with my snow globe collection, his guitars, and some other fun stuff. 

"I can't believe what we did! I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!" 

"Good things come to those who wait." Syo smiled, taking me into his arms for a hug. "So, we need a plan for our new record company, don't we?" 

"I don't know the first thing about business, or recording companies, or how we're going to get the money to start it, or how to advertise for it, or how to sign on clients when the time comes, or who to hire to help." I sighed. 

"You want to know one of the reasons I fell for you?" 

"Yes. Cuz I still can't believe it." I smiled and looked up with happy eyes. 

"You should. You're amazing. And one of the reasons you're amazing is because you always find a way. When I had to choose between you and singing with Starish, you decided to find a way for me to have both, this recording company. And I'm sure you'll find a way to get this company on track. And if not, that's okay. When I came on stage, I was fully prepared to end starish. I had known about Otoya and Nanami, and Celine and Tokiya, and the Natsuki and Tomo-chan. The four of us had talked about ending STARISH soon. We've been in love for almost two years now, and that was already too long to wait, no matter how much fun we had along the way. I wish I would've known about Hijirikawa and Jinguji, we would've consulted them, too. All of us wanted to be with the ones who we loved, and we were willing to sacrifice STARISH to do it. We won't if we don't have to, but if Maji Love Studios for any reason doesn't work out, we won't wish we hadn't come public last week. We will never wish that." 

"I love you, Syo." 

"I love you, too, Tai." Syo smiled and kissed me. 

The next day, I got a call. 

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hello, is this Uzumi Tai-sama?" 

"Sama?" I asked myself. That's a pretty high up honourific. "Um, yes, this is she. How can I help you?" 

"I'm a representative from Japan Now!, the country's top news show, and I was wondering if you, STARISH, and their significant others would like to join us on our show."

My jaw dropped. STARISH had been on many shows, but they've never asked the composers, managers, much less significant others to join them on the show. 

"I'm in! But I'll check with the others, and get back to you." 

"Great to hear your enthousiasm!" She smiled. Her name was Tang Shandra. Shandra gave me her contact info and I rushed into the other room. 

"SYO! SYO! SYO! SYO! SYO!" I called out. 

"WHAT!? WHAT?? WHAT?!? WHAT!? WHAT?!" Syo laughed as he answered as many times as I yelled his name. 

"Shandra Tang from Japan Now wants STARISH and all their significant others to be on their show!" 

"Sweet! That's awesome, do you want to do it?" 

"OF course I want to do it! Do you?"

"Absolutely! This is how we'll do it! We'll use our publicity from STARISH's supposed breakup to get the money to run Maji Love Studios!" 

"I can't take everyone's money from this." 

"The money you make alone from all of this should hopefully be enough! And if not, we have my money from preforming and from these interviews." 

"Syo, I--" 

"We're in this together now. I don't care if you don't want to risk my money on something that may not work. I've got enough of it to go around. Between STARISH's preformances, the movie with sensei, my group work with Jinjugi, and more solo work, I'm loaded. I know you didn't make even a quarter of the money per song as we did, so you've gotta let me help you."

"How about this," I suggested. "I'll spend my money on this studio, and if it's about to go under, you can come and save the day. Okay?" 

"Um…" He pretended to think about it for a moment. "No." 

"Just no?" 

"Yep, just no." 

"No plan? No suggestions?" 

"Actually, I do have a plan. How about I keep the money I have now, then I give you all the money I make from this. With the money we both make from interviews and such, there should be no problem, and we'll have more than enough to live on, too." 

"Um…" I mimicked him. "No." 

"No." 

"Did you just no my no?" 

"I did just no your no." 

"Okay, fine. How about a compromise? I give you half of what I make from now on. It's not what I want, it's not what you want, so we're both happy." 

I just laughed at that. 

"Okay." 

"Okay." 

"Good." I smiled. 

"Our squables are my favourite." 

"You enjoy us fighting?" 

"No, no, no,--" He began to explain as I laughed. "And they're your favourite, too, aren't they?" 

"Yep. Yep, they are." 

"You had me scared for a minute, don't do that!" 

"Okay, okay." I laughed. "I've gotta call everyone and see who's up for it!" 

I went into the other room and started with Nanami. She and Otoya agreed and were excited. I called Jinguji, and he said he'd call me back after talking to Hijirikawa. Next I called Tokiya and Celine, and they agreed. Natsuki was the most excited of the group, he and Tomo-chan agreed as well. When Jinguji called me back an hour later, he and Hijirikawa agreed. 

I called Shandra back, and we were on the show TOMORROW! It was a pretty quick process, but we were all excited. 

We went on in couples. The first couple to go on was me and Syo. 

"Welcome, Syo and Tai!" Shandra said as we walked on stage and took our seats. 

"Thank you." I smiled nervously. This was a big deal. Syo told me he could do most of the talking if I wanted, since this was his teriroty. 

"So, we have quite a few questions for you about the end of STARISH." Shandra began. 

"Can I say one quick thing first?" I asked. 

"Um, sure, go right ahead." 

"Okay, thanks." I turned to look at the camera. "This is not the end of STARISH. When there's a will, there's a way, and STARISH will find a way to continue singing for all of you. So, don't get too comfortable in the number one spot, Heavens." 

"We'll be back to take it soon enough." Syo said. 

The audience took a minute to cheer. 

"That's a great opening to your rivalry with Heavens. Can you tell us anything about that?" 

"Heavens first appeared out of the blue. Neither of us had any clue who the other was when we first met. But we saw each other perform, and they're good. They were tough to beat. But, we'll keep on beating them again and again." Syo answered. 

"I hear you two have gotten aquainted with Heavens' lead, Otori." 

"Yeah, we have." I laughed at the memory. "He approached me before the Uta Pri performances. I don't know what he was trying to accomplish, but he was teasing me about Syo. I put him in his place, though, and Syo actually saw it all." 

"I would've intervened, but Tai handled herself perfectly. I still laugh at all the stuff she said." 

"Like what?" 

"Give me a second to think of her best quote." Syo said. "Oh, I've got it! Otori was really starting to tick Tai off, and I was trying to calm her down by telling her he wasn't worth all the trouble. I said 'He's not worth it, and you know I'm right'." 

"Then I asked 'Can I hit him?'

'No.' 

'Please let me hit him. Just once!'

'Absolutely not.'

'But you've got to! He's asking for it!'

'Can't. Would love to, but can't.'

'Slap? I could settle for a slap?' 

'Sorry, no.' 

'But why?'

'He's not worth it.' Syo said. 'You know I'm right.'

'Damn it, you are.' 

"So that's basically how it went. I never would've actually hit him, but like Syo said' 'can't. Would love to, but can't.'". 

"You two seem like a hilarious duo." Shandra said. 

"We're the comedians of STARISH, I'll give you that." Syo laughed. 

"Speaking of STARISH, what's next for them? You said it wasn't over." 

"Oh, it's definitely far from over. But because of the love ban, we haven't gotten any offers from studios yet. One day, we will. Hopefully soon." I asnswered. 

"There's no plan then?" 

"There's a plan. It'll just take time. Right now, STARISH is just waiting." 

"Are you going to be singing with them this time?" 

"Oh, no, I won't be." 

"I bet a lot of people would love to hear you and Syo's duet. It's one of the reasons we called you here. Right, people, we want them to sing, right?"

The crowd cheered and I couldn't help but blush. 

"Do you want to sing?" I whispered to Syo. 

"Yeah, if you do." He answered. 

"Let's do it." I smiled. We got up, sang our duet, with the crowd singing along and cheering. Then sat back down for more questions. 

"So, that song is obviously about Syo, right?" Shandra asked. 

"Obviously." I answered. 

"When did you write it?" 

"About a year after I met him. Just before the Uta Pri concert I think." 

"And the only reason you performed that day was because STARISH was late due to weather troubles?" 

"Yep." 

"And did you plan to sing with her, Syo?" 

"Contrary to Tai's belief, I didn't. I came just as she walked on stage. And after hearing the first verse, I had to sing it with her. STARISH had been active for two years by that time. I knew how Otoya and Nanami felt about each other, and the same goes to Celine, Tokiya, Natsuki, and Tomo-chan. Nobody new about Jinguji and Hijirikawa until that night, though. Tokiya, Natsuki, Otoya, and I had been talking about ending it soon. We all wanted to be with the loves of our lives. And I had the opportunity to go out with a bang, while romantically surprising Tai. It was the best possible ending to STARISH I could think of." 

"How did you know the song? Did she show it to you? Confess to you before hand?" 

"Both of us had suspicions the other had feelings for us. But we never really knew until that night. But I still don't know how the little sneak thief knew about my song." 

"I actually went to your room one night when I had an amazing idea for the song for Jinguji and I you were writing. Tomo-chan said you hadn't come back from the practice room, so I went to check on you there, and you were fast asleep on the piano. I expected to find the song for Jinguji and I, but instead, I found What It Comes Through. I took pictures, played it for myself, and I knew it was about me. I was 99.9% sure. That was when I approached the guys and we started talking about the end of STARISH." 

"Did all four agree on a time immediately, or was it a spur of the moment." 

"We decided we'd reconvene in half a year. Eight months later, we never did, and I heard that song and the girl I love singing it. I didn't think about anyone else in that moment, it was just me and Tai. I felt bad afterword, especially for Hijirikawa and Jinguji. Until I realized they were together. I apologized to everyone for ruining everything on the way home, but they all said it was alright and would've happened sooner or later." 

"And you can't reveal anything about your plan to get STARISH back in the business?" 

"Just that we're waiting for a record company that will accept us even though we break the love ban." 

"Well, best of luck with that." Shandra smiled. "And Tai, how did you feel when Syo walked on stage?" 

"I felt everything. I felt happy that he was singing with me. I started crying because him singing that song meant he reciprocated all the feelings I put into it. I was a little pissed that he spied on me and got the song, though." I laughed. "I was nervous to go on stage, but as soon as Syo walked on, it was just the two of us. I couldn't hear the crowd, I didn't notice anything except for him and the music." 

"Do you guys think you'll sing together on stage again?" 

"We haven't really talked about it. But I'd love to sing with Tai opening up for STARISH again." 

"Me, too." I smiled. "And maybe this time, we'll actually get to the concert part before we're arrested by Shining." 

The crowd had a good laugh. 

"I've got one last question for you, Syo." Shandra said. "How did it feel to give up your dream?" 

My smile faded then. 

"I didn't give up my dream." Syo took my hand. "I found a much better one." 

Cue audience "aaaaawe" at Syo. 

"That's sweet." Shandra smiled. "But how did it feel to think you might never sing on stage again?" 

"I wasn't thinking about it at all. I still haven't thought about it."

"So you're in denial that STARISH is done, at least for now, and possibly forever?"

"I came to terms with the fact that STARISH would end one day, even before we had our first performance. All good things come to an end. I just decided to end one good thing early to get to an even better thing early." 

"You didn't feel any sadness about giving up your career?" 

"No." 

"Alright, well thank you so much. We'll put our next couple in the hot seat." 

The last couple to go was Jinguji and Hijirikawa. You should've heard the fans roar when they came on stage. 

"So, we've got so many questions for you today!" Shandra smiled. 

"Shoot!" Jinguji smiled. 

"Why did you never tell anyone how you felt? Syo said he knew about Tokiya, Otoya, and Natsuki." 

"It was my request." Hijirikawa answered. "I didn't want anyone finding out. I knew Syo, nor any member of STARISH, would ever tell anyone anything. But I didn't want anyone to overhear me, or for it to slip out accidently, or anything like that."

"And how did you feel about that, Jinguji?" 

"I understood his reasoning. I didn't want it to get out, either. I was anxious to finally be a real couple, but we both decided we would wait for someone else to end STARISH for the time being first, then we'd follow suit." 

"How long have you two been together?" 

"Since the Uta Pri award night." 

After the couples interview, STARISH was asked to come back and have an interview session, so Tomo-chan, Nanami, Celine, and I were backstage watching from a TV. 

"I know I've asked all of you this before, but I just want to ask it one last time. Is STARISH truly over, and if not, what's next?" 

"STARISH will never truly be over." Otoya said. 

"But for now, we're going to take the break when we can get it." Hijirikawwa smiled. 

"We'll take time for our new relationships." Tokiya winked at the camera for Celine. 

"But we've got a plan to be back in action soon." Natsuki admitted. 

"And what is that plan?" Shandra asked. 

"Syo?" Jinguji, as well as the rest of STARISH, stared at Syo. But we weren't ready to reveal Maji Love Studios yet. 

"It's like I said, we're waiting for a studio that doesn't require us to follow the love ban." 

"But how is waiting a plan?" Shandra asked. "It's not really one, is it?" 

"Oh, it is." Syo assured her. "And, if all goes according to said plan, we'll have more news for you by the end of the year. It's April now, so give us until January, and we can tell you details to phase two of our plan." 

"Oh, so there are phases? Can you tell us any of them?" 

"In January. Maybe December, our timeline is flexible." Syo said. 

"And why did Jinguji ask you to reveal this?" 

"Because it's Tai's plan, and I'm her right hand man for it." Syo smiled. "Guys, ready?" 

The rest of STARISH nodded. 

"S… We'll be back." Natsuki began. 

"T... Much brighter." Tokiya continued. 

"A…. Than ever." Everyone said together. 

"R… So prepare." Jinguji sang. 

"I…. For trouble." Otoya smiled.

"S… And make it." Syo winked.

"H… Double." Hijirikawa ended. 

After that, STARISH took a bow, and left. I had to give him a well deserved high-five for taunting Heavens while making a pokemon reference which refered to STARISH's significant others. And though it's true we're not technically doubled because Hijirikawa and Jinguji are dating each other instead of bringing in guys from outside of STARISH, it was a funny idea, and I'm glad they all went along with it."

And, technically, it wasn't even wrong that we used Heavens' lyrics, because Nanami and I composed the song. The only reason they got it was because Shining wanted to make the Uta Pri fair. 

 

Over the next few weeks, there was a lot of news about STARISH's performance that Syo and I ended really early. Although, a lot of it was from the view of Shining and his agency. Talking about how unprofessional we were, about how untrustworthy we were, and lots of other lies. 

"Syo, I'm--"

"Hungry?" He asked. 

"No, I'm--" 

"Sleepy? 

"Seriously, Syo, I'm--" 

"Don't even try to apologize for the newspaper." He smiled. "This is just as much my fault as yours. Actually if anything, it's more my fault because you didn't know I'd come and sing with you on stage. I knew the consequences of my actions. I knew we'd get all this bad publicity. So did Otoya, Natsuki, and Tokiya. Even Hijirikawa and Jinguji are okay with it, we've talked to them. Stop beating yourself up over this." 

"But what if nobody wants to joing Maji Love Studios because of Shining?" 

"Then STARISH will have their own personal agency. How cool is that?" Syo smiled. "And when they see how well STARISH does, they'll definitely want to come to us. Anyone who knows what true love feels like will join us, and they'll understand why we did what they did. They may have even debated doing it themselves before they had the option of Maji Love Studios." 

"Okay, you're right. At least I hope." 

 

Over the next few weeks, Syo and I started taking steps toward Maji Love Studios. There were more calls for interviews, which we all accepted, mainly for the money we needed for our studio. We found a building we could use, we hired some people, including Celine as manager. Things were going great, and Syo and I couldn't have been happier.

During one of the interviews, we realized we were being found out. 

"Syo, you said Tai had a plan, right? A plan to get STARISH back into business." 

"Yeah, and that plan is waiting for a studio that will accept us. We're hoping, with enough demand from fans, we'll be hired." 

"And you and Tai just leased a building, right?" 

"We did. How did you find out?" 

"We have our sources. So is this building part of your plan?" 

"Oh, no, they're completely unrelated." 

"Oh really?? So you guys aren't making your own record label?" 

Syo and I just laughed. 

"Do you know how much work that would be?" I answered. "We wouldn't know where to begin." 

Neither of us liked lying to STARISH's fans. But if word got out, particularly to Shining, that we were making our own record company, things wouldn't go as smoothly. 

"Yeah, I remember when I did all that work. It was more than I bargained for, but it was worth it." 

The room was silent. Syo and I looked at each other and knew it was over. We couldn't hide anything anymore, now that Shining is here. 

"Long time, no see, shining." Syo smiled like nothing had happened. 

"Good to see you, too, Kurusu." Shining smiled. "So, if this building isn't for a studio, what is it for?" 

"Alright, you got us." I laughed. "It is for a studio. But as you can see, it's nowhere near finished. We didn't want to get all of our fans hopes up just to have it fail. We don't know if our studio will succeed, and if it doesn't, STARISH might not be able to come back. Sorry for lying, but, we just didn't want to let you down again." 

"Again?" Syo asked. 

"Come on. You know disbanding STARISH let the fans down. You guys were just getting started, and I--" 

"Don't forget, this wasn't just my decision, and it wasn't your fault. You didn't disband STARISH, I didn't disband STARISH, and neither did Tomo-chan, or anyone else. STARISH disbanded STARISH." 

"You did it for us." 

"And we wouldn't have wanted it any other way. What was that quote from Pocahontas you loved so much? Something along the lines of 'I would rather die tomorrow than live 100 years without knowing you'. Right?" 

"Right." I sighed with a smile. 

"All of us would rather be with the ones we love than have 10 or even 20 more years with STARISH." 

"And I completely get that. But that doesn't stop me from knowing that I had a part in ending something great way too early." 

"That's what I'm here for." He smiled and gave me a hug. That was about the time we remembered we had company. 

"STARISH will be back, provided we succeed. And if we fail…" 

"Which we won't." Syo added. 

"… then I'm sorry…" 

"Don't be," Shining said. "I came to negotiate with STARISH. I brought the rest of them with us, they're waiting in the conference room." 

We were nervous to see what Shining's ideas were. But after the show, we all were in the conference room, dead silent. 

"Well, let's get straight to it." Shining said. "STARISH was very good for my company. Unfortunately, you all decided to give up your dreams and careers for people you met two years ago. I'm in love, I know what it feels like. But love means sacrificing your own needs for someone else. My wife and I waited years to be together. And our maturity allowed us to do that. Can't you be mature and come back?" 

STARISH and their boyfriends/girlfriends burst out laughing. 

"With all due respect, Shining, are you stupid?" Masato laughed. 

"We made that big stink on stage, you remember that, right? And you think we'd do all that just to go back the exact way things were? Not a chance." Nanami giggled. 

"You don't seriously expect us to accept these terms, do you?" I asked. 

"I thought you, of all people, would understand, Uzumi." Shining said. 

"Why me, of all people?" 

"Because of what she said about her guilt. Do none of you feel guilt?" 

"We made our choice on our own." Tokiya reminded us. 

"And we won't change it." Jinguji agreed. 

"How about this, then?" Shining proposed. "STARISH can sign another contract with my studio, and I'll allow everyone to be with whoever they choose, except Syo and Uzumi." 

I was so close to accepting on the spot. Sure, I'd have to postpone my relationship with Syo. But everyone else in STARISH could have their cake and eat it, too. It seemed like the best offer we could get without Maji Love Studios. 

"Never." Natsuki answered within a heartbeat. 

"We see what you're trying to do here, Shining. We're not going to let it happen." Otoya said. 

"What?" I asked. 

"He's trying to break us up. Shining knows that, if we accept his offer, I'll feel envious of everyone else. Eventually, that'll be STARISH's real downfall. One it can never come back from." Syo explained. 

I was too busy thinking of all the good this offer would do that I never considered the bad. 

"The only way you're getting STARISH back is if you lift the love ban for all of us." Ren said as he stood up. "Until you're prepared to do that, don't even try." 

Masato followed him out, but I stayed behind. 

"What's wrong, Tai?" Syo asked. It was just the three of us left. 

"I need to talk to Shining for a second, Syo. I'm hoping I can do something about this. Just give us a minute." 

"Alright. I'll be right outside." 

"What did you want to talk about?" 

"If you really knew what love felt like, you wouldn't try to separate any of us, let alone all of us." 

"Oh, I do know love. I was telling the truth. I just know how you feel, too. I want to help. My wife and I have talked a million and one time about her guilt. She feels like she ended my career. My dream. And I think that's worse than the love ban." 

"If you really wanted to help, you'd let us all back without the love ban." 

"Do you know what would happen if I did that?" 

"What? Other idols would want the same thing? And when they heard you lifted the love ban on all your idols, they'd try to switch studios? That doesn't sound so bad." 

"No, not at all. STARISH would lose too many of its fans." 

"Yeah, right." I scoffed. 

"I'm serious. Why do you think the love ban was put into place? To gain more fans! You should be exhibit a in the department. You fell for an idol, and how bad did it suck not to be with him?" 

"Really badly, and I understand that. But other people don't love Syo the way I do." 

"I know it's completely different. But to teenage girls who haven't felt real love, they'll think that's it. And any teenage girl who fell for STARISH and had dreams of being with them, just to see them crushed live on stage, won't buy tickets to another STARISH concert ever again." 

"Oh, I doubt that." 

"That's where you're wrong. You have a low self esteem. The entire time you worked as STARISH's co-composer, you thought 'Syo could never love me. I'm not good enough', didn't you?" 

"Well, yeah, but that's because of how amazing Syo is. And in the end, I found out he does love me." 

"Right. To girls with high self-esteem, they will think 'I could totally get Syo if only I could meet him'. And they'd have dreams about that, ones that could possibly be fulfilled. But now that he has you, their dreams are crushed. They'll come to resent you first. 'If Syo wasn't dating her, he'd totally fall for me!'. Then, they'd come to resent Syo. 'He's so stupid anyway, falling for someone like her instead of someone like me'. Then, they'd stop listening to STARISH. This would happen to every fangirl with a high self-esteem they have." 

"Okay, maybe some girls would think this. But is that really enough reason to put so many idols through the love ban?" 

"Sure, we're in the entertainment business, which is so much fun for the idols. But it's a business, none the less. We have to have a strong fan-base, or they get the boot. If the rest of STARISH has boyfriends or girlfriends, at least we can keep one member's fangirls. And maybe, just maybe, Syo's fangirls can talk to their friends and get ex-fangirls back on the STARISH train. Possibly even turn some of the other member's fangirls to Syo. One way or another, STARISH could only survive if one or more of their members obeyed the love ban."

"So why'd you choose Syo?"

"He has the most fangirls now." 

"Ah, shit." I swore under my breath. If I let Syo go for the time being…. Could I ever get him back? Would he be taken by another girl? "I'll consider it. I'll talk to Syo about it." 

"Thank you, Uzumi. You'd be doing even Syo a favour. Unless your studio is a success, this is the only way he can achieve his dream and have you. They'll have to be at different times, but he can still do it." 

I left the room with a fake smile that Syo immediately picked up on. 

"It didn't go well, did it?" Syo asked as we were walking. 

"No." I sighed. I explained everything Shining told me to Syo. He seemed to understand it all. "So, what do you think? Is it worth taking two more years off? Everyone else could get exactly what they want." 

"It still sounds like a trick to me. Don't forget what Otoya and I picked up on. He's trying to tear us apart." 

"You're STARISH." I smiled and laughed. "Nothing can tear you apart. You guys have been through so much together, and you lived your dreams together. A bond like that is unbreakable." 

"Don't forget, you're part of STARISH, too." 

"Exactly. Thank you for mentioning that. Syo, I've learned something because of you. There's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. I'm in love with you. But I still love Otoya, Nanami, Jinguji, Masato, Natsuki, Tomo-chan, Tokiya, and Celine. I want them to be happy, too." 

"And they will be, once Maji Love Studios is done. And if you say anything along the lines of 'what if it's not' one more time, I will noogie you bald." 

"I couldn't help but laugh at that." 

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad would it be if we said yes to Shining's offer?" 

"Hmm…" Syo pretended like he was thinking. "Ten…. Thousand." 

"Really? On a scale of one to ten, it would be a ten thousand?" 

"Okay, maybe you're right." Syo smiled. "It could be closer to fifty or sixty thousand."

Syo got the point across. Under no circumstances did he want this to happen. But I couldn't help feeling like this was a selfish decision on our part. 

The next day, Syo had an unexpected visitor while I was out. 

"Hello, Kurusu Syo, right?" 

"Yeah, that's me. And you are…?"

"I'm Marisole, Shining's wife. I'm here to talk to you about Tai's situation. I was in it, too." 

"Look, you're wasting your time. Nobody is going to sign your contract until we all are safe from the love ban. Shining already talked to Tai, and she's not signing. The entire group is against it. It's unanimous." 

"I came here to talk about Tai, not to Tai. She's in trouble if you don't sign this. More than you can imagine. May I come in?" 

"Sure." Syo reluctantly decided to listen to her, and it was only because Tai was supposedly in trouble. He'd risk wasting twenty minutes to make sure I wasn't in trouble. 

"So, when Shining and I met, I knew he was the one. The twinkle in his eye when he preformed what what I first noticed about him. We got to know each other, and eventually, he decided to quit so he could be with me. When I heard it, I was outraged and saddened. I managed to stop him. But in another year, he said he wanted to do it. I stopped him again. A few months later, he brought it up again. He kept bringing it up, and after three years, I gave in and was about to let him. But the day of, I went and stopped him again. I didn't want to be the end of his career. I'm sure Tai feels the same way. That's why she's considering signing. But her burden is much bigger than mine. She's not only holding you back but the rest of STARISH, too. If you and Tai decide to sign, all the rest of STARISH would get everything they've ever wanted. But you won't sign because of her. Imagine the guilt she will feel about ruining all of your careers." 

"I know you and Tai might not fully understand this, but STARISH disbanded to follow their hearts. If we go back, we'd be going back on everything we believe in. And the guys know that if they sign it, they'd be betraying us to get their fame back. Nobody even considered it for a second." 

"I understand your side of the story. But do you understand mine? I know Tai feels like it's her fault you quit, and everyone else quit because you did. So, she thinks she broke up STARISH. This is her chance to get it back together." 

"But that's not at all how it is." 

"How it really is doesn't matter. What matters is how Tai sees it. It's eating away at her, and you and STARISH have a chance to fix it. Because of what you all did, now everyone else can avoid the love ban." 

"I care more about how Tai feels than you can imagine. That's why I can't leave her. Not now, not ever. We can deal with all that, provided we're together."

"Keep an open mind, Syo. Try to imagine how Tai feels. You quit because of her. STARISH quit, too, because you quit for her. And if her studio doesn't work out, that'll be the finishing blow."

"Finishing blow?" 

"I only had Shining's career on the line and it drove me up the wall. Imagine what it can do to her when she has six careers on the line. Eight if you include her co-composer and the manager." 

"I can imagine how she would feel. But with me here, she'll be just fine. I'll make sure she knows that not a single little bit of this is worthy of any guilt." 

"Can you do that?" 

"Of course I can. You know the only thing that would be worse for Tai than the guilt of ruining STARISH's career?" 

"What?" 

"Losing me. If she signs this, she'll be up every night thinking about it. STARISH will be in the spotlight again, with lots of fan promotions, lots of parties, and lots of fangirls. And if I can't be with Tai, she'll be so worried that I'll find someone else." 

"How do you know that? It's six people versus one, and you're one of those six." 

"Because I worried about losing her, too. She wasn't even in the spotlight or going to parties. Tai was just a composer, and the craziest thing she ever did was stay up all night writing songs. From the day I met her, I knew she was into Otoya. So, the first chance I got, I took her to an amusement park, and she hasn't been the same around him since. But I worried about losing her. It was for a brief moment. So I can only imagine how much seeing me pose for pictures with hundreds of different girls for years to come will kill her. I'm not going to let that happen. Now get out of our house." 

"You seem to know what you're talking about… I'll be going now." 

"Yeah, good. Bye." Syo almost slammed the door in her face. How dare she tell him what to do. She may have gone through it before, but all she had to do was give advice, not orders. And she repeated herself a lot, trying to convince him she was right, when clearly, she wasn't. Syo knew what was best for them, not Marisole. 

"Wait a sec…" Syo sighed, as he realised. He was making decisions for me. He thought he knew how I'd react. He thought he knew what would be best for me. But in the end, only I knew that. So when I came home that day, Syo knew it was time for me to make my own decision, and for him to make his. 

"Hey!" I smiled and gave him a kiss as I walked in. I immediately knew something was wrong. "What happened?" 

"Shining's wife, Marisole, came to visit." 

"She was bugging you about signing, wasn't she?" 

"Not exactly. She was bugging me about you signing. She said all this stuff about being in your situation and how it is best for you that STARISH signs so you don't feel like you were the cause of the breakup. I countered with my own thoughts. I don't want us to separate. Not at all. But Marisole and I were both trying to make decisions for you. It's time you made your own, and I made my own. Maji Love Studios will 99.9% likely be a success. It's us, what could go wrong?" Syo laughed. "But even considering the worst case scenario… thinking that STARISH will never perform again…. I made that decision once, and I'm making the same one again. I'm sure the guys will feel the same, but I'll double check. Tai, you're more important to me than performing as part of STARISH. There's only one question for me to answer… should we postpone our relationship for our dreams? This entire time, I've been thinking only of myself and STARISH. The love ban only applies to us. But I forgot that with no STARISH, you don't have a job composing. I selfishly and unknowingly ruined your dream along with mine. But, I'd gladly give up my dream for you. I don't know if I want you giving up your dream for me. That's how you must've felt."

I had to give him another hug. I just loved him so much. I didn't ever want to let go of him, but I gladly would, if it meant he could realise his dream. And I would even more gladly give up my dream to hold onto him. But if he loved me as much as I loved him… if he would give up his dream to hold onto me… if he never wanted to let go of me… then I would never sign. 

"Syo, my dream is so small compared to you. Or how you so beautifully put it… you're my new dream." 

"I'm still sorry I never talked to you about it…" 

"It's alright, that's way behind us. Do you feel the same way I do, Syo? When I hug you, do you just never want to let go? I feel like you're my world, and if I'm yours too, then I'm sorry I ever even considered signing and separating us. If your dream feels insignificant compared to me, too, then I won't sign." 

"It always has, and it always will." He smiled.


End file.
